The invention relates in general to heating furnaces and in particular to a new and useful method for operating an arc furnace with a bottom electrode and to an apparatus for executing the method.
A similar direct-current arc furnace is known from the periodical "Elktrowarme International" (Electric Heating International) 41, (1983). A cooling system for the bottom electode of such a furnace is the object of German Pat. No. 31 06 741.
It has become apparent during the operation of such furnaces that the service life of the bottom electrode does not meet expectations. It has been shown that in the area of the bottom electrode, cracks appear in the refractory material, into which the melt can penetrate. Increased efforts were made, therefore, to ascertain the causes for the relatively short service life of the bottom electrode and eliminate them as far as possible.